Behind the Movement to Ban Cellphones in Schools | The Epoch Times

Seven states passed laws prohibiting cellphone use during instruction time or requiring districts to impose restrictions at the local level. - Aaron Gifford

• Mountain Middle School in Durango, Colorado, banned cellphones from classrooms a dozen years ago.
• Principal and executive director Shane Voss recalled that at the time, the constant texting and photo-snapping were too much to tolerate...
• Prior to the start of the 2012–2013 academic year, Voss asked his faculty if anyone could think of a reason to justify students having phones in the classroom. Not a single hand went up.
• With that, the school instituted a policy that required phones to be turned off and placed inside backpacks until the students exited the building at the end of the school day. The principal said he can count the number of total infractions during the policy’s history on one hand.
• “The kids were actually yearning for this,” Voss said, adding that students in recent years told him that they enjoy the mornings and afternoons without having to check their messages or social media updates.
• “They’re talking to each other,” he said. “They learn from that personal communication and collaboration.”